HARTFORD – Gov. Ned Lamont today announced that he will soon sign into law legislation that takes a step forward in reducing electric bills, delivering Connecticut consumers nearly $400 million in annual savings by reducing public benefits charges and making cuts in supply, delivery, and transmission fees.
The bipartisan measure that originated in the Senate is the result of a collaboration between the Lamont administration and Democratic and Republican lawmakers. It was approved in the Senate yesterday by a vote of 34-1, and in the House of Representatives this evening by a vote of 144-3.
“Like many people, I think electric bills are too damn high, and this bipartisan bill is a first step in addressing a complex issue that is the result of policy decisions made years ago by legislators in both parties that have continued to impact our utility rates,” Gov. Lamont said. “I want to be clear – this legislation is one step in the effort to make energy rates more affordable and we should not stop here. I thank Democrats and Republicans in the General Assembly for approving this legislation and I will sign it into law when it is transmitted to my desk. Let’s keep doing more to reduce electric rates.”
The savings achieved in the legislation are in addition to the recent 25% reduction in the public benefits charge that the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) approved in the May 2025 rate adjustment mechanism and to the upcoming 13% reduction in supply rates on July 1, 2025.
As required under legislative rules, now that the bill has been approved by both chambers of the General Assembly it will be transmitted to the nonpartisan Legislative Commissioners’ Office for engrossing and supervision of printing in its final form. Once engrossed, it is required to go through an approval process by the Office of the House Clerk, the Office of the Senate Clerk, and the Office of the Secretary of the State before it can finally be transmitted to the governor for his signature. This engrossing and approval process usually takes several days to complete.
Upon receiving the bill, the Office of the Governor will make an announcement when a date has been selected for it to be signed by the governor.
The legislation will deliver a $100 million cut to delivery and transmission costs.
After years of tireless advocacy for lower energy bills, state Sen. Ryan Fazio (R-Greenwich) said he is proud to announce the major step forward in financial relief.
“For three years, my Republican colleagues and I have been shouting from the rooftops that Connecticut’s electric rates are too damn high and calling for leadership to cut electric rates and the Public Benefits tax buried in every resident’s bill,” Fazio said. “We’ve heard from tens of thousands of families who are being crushed by these costs — families forced to choose between heating their homes and putting food on the table. We never stopped fighting for them. Today’s compromise marks one small step toward long-overdue relief.”
Sen. Norm Needleman (D-Essex), Senate Chair of the Energy and Technology Committee, was also thankful for the bill’s passage.
“The people of Connecticut demand and deserve relief on their energy bills,” Needleman said. “Today, we’re giving that to them. This is a Senate Democrats bill, but it’s a true bipartisan piece of legislation borne out of a desire to fix this problem. This is an extremely detailed and thorough piece of legislation looking at our energy present and our energy future with equal levels of importance.”
Senate President Martin M. Looney (D-New Haven) applauded the efforts to get the bill sent over to the House before Wednesday’s deadline.
“Senate Bill 4 listens to the people of Connecticut and makes a concerted effort to find reductions and savings for electric ratepayers,” he said. “It’s similarly important for the bill to protect state line workers from dangerous working environments, engage with studies of future strategies to achieve further electric rate efficiencies and delve into long-term investments to shore up the safety and security of our grid.”
Connecticut Senate Republicans led the charge in passing legislation two and a half years ago to require utility companies to clearly disclose public benefits charges on customer bills. Since then, Republican lawmakers have filed legislation each year to significantly reduce rates and improve the state’s overall energy policy.
The Fazio bill calls for eliminating the public benefits charge paid by ratepayers, capping the price of all future long-term energy purchases, redefining the definition of Class I renewable energy sources to include nuclear and hydropower, separating PURA from DEEP (Department of Energy and Environmental Protection), eliminating subsidy programs such as electric vehicle rebates, and increasing the supply of natural gas to the state.
“For years, Sen. Fazio and Republicans have been sounding the alarm that Connecticut’s sky-high electric rates are crushing working families,” Senate Minority Leader Stephen Harding said. “Republicans believe we need to do far more to provide that relief. This legislation does not go far enough, but thanks to Republicans constantly beating the drum and forcing Democrats to recognize this cost-of-living crisis, we are finally taking a step in the right direction.”
